Marines Season In Review

Though the sting has not quite lifted from being ousted by rival Vero Beach in the EMLCS, the Marines have a lot to be proud of for their 2012 season. For the first time in franchise history, the Marines reached 100 wins, handily took the division title and had the most regular season wins with 117. The Hello Kitty Trophy remains ever elusive to GM Eric Posch, but with a solid core set to return for 2013, the Marines remain optimistic of being right back in the hunt. Before completely looking forward, here's a look at back at what went right and what went wrong in the 2012 season.

Team MVP Matt Kemp's season will largely be remembered for his season ending flyout in Game 7

Pitching MVP/Team MVP: Matt Cain. The Marines had one target last offseason, and Matt Cain was their man. After long negotiations that reached impasse after impasse, Cain finally was brought to Colorado for a package consisting of Nick Markakis, Ivan Nova, Danny Espinosa and others. He proved to be worth the cost, dominating competitors to the tune of 18-7 and a 2.25 ERA. He will join Felix Hernandez in 2013 as the head of a strong rotation.

Offensive MVP: Matt Kemp. With 42 HRs, 111 RBIs and 30 steals to go with his Gold Glove, there were few players who had better seasons than Matt in the EML. Though his playoffs ended on a sour note, he will also be remembered for hitting 9th inning and 10th inning game tying HRs against San Antonio in a crucial game. Injuries will keep his play limited in 2013, but he will be elite when on the field.

Relief MVP: Daniel Bard. Daniel will have to savor his dominant 38 save season, as he will find himself without a home in the coming weeks. He often made things interesting in 2012 (and cost Manager Eric Posch an estimated 1.87 years off his life) but more often than not Daniel slammed the door, whether in save situations or as a fireman to come out and clean up the messes of others. He'll be missed, but newcomer Kenley Jansen is already eyeing this title for 2013.

Newcomer Award: Jake Peavy. Traded for the Ghost of Francisco Liriano, Peavy was acquired as a flyer for the future (which panned out!), but the Marines could not have expected the season they got from Peavy in 2012. Going 12-2 with a 2.82 ERA in his 20 starts, Peavy pitched like an ace out of the #5 spot, a spot that seemed to house magical components (Cobb's 2.30 ERA, Bass's 1.98 ERA, Bailey's 1.19 ERA also benefiting in limited innings). He'll be back in 2013 with a huge card.


And for the Marines' dunces…


Better Than Yuniesky Betancourt (I guess) Award: Jason Giambi. Acquired for a middle round pick and coming to a cozy ballpark, Giambi seemed like a perfect bench bat for the Marines. He completely failed to impress in his 100+ ABs, though, hitting just 6 HRs and posting an OBP under .300. His brief tenure with the Marines will not be remembered.

Starting Pitching LVP: Felix Hernandez. It hurts to give him this, but my rationale is it will serve as extra motivation to earn the Cy Young in 2013. That Felix's 16-7, 4.46 ERA season is as bad as it gets says a lot about the season the Marines had. Felix also earned some inflated stats from eating innings to save the bullpen, a value which cannot be forgotten. Overall, Felix had about as good a 'bad' season as a pitcher can have, and he'll be hungry atop the rotation next season.

I Asked for Relief, Not Grief! Award: Santiago Casilla. Last year's Relief MVP had a fall from grace in 2012. His 3.71 ERA wasn't awful, but his 1.64 WHIP was ugly. It seemed every game he came in he was walking someone, and making his manager turn to Bard to clean up his disaster. Casilla was given high expectations coming into the season and was a major letdown.

Wish I’d Let You Go to Napa Award: Alex Gonzalez. One of Colorado's seemingly annual draft headscratchers, GM Posch somehow thought he needed to trade up for this clown. He was brought on for one job and one job only: be solid offensively against lefties. He failed. His .238/.267/.349 line against southpaws was redeemed only by above average defense, but not enough to keep this from being another page in the book of regret for Eric. Perhaps this is the year he'll learn not to make ridiculous mid-draft trades out of paranoia of getting the guy he wants.